My Brother the Idiot
by iamthebrain
Summary: What happens when Charlie gets in a car accident? Mel and Dez go the hospital and wait for him to come out of surgery. During that time, Mel finds out things she never knew before about her brother. But what could this be? This story will probably be made into a multi-chap depending on how many people like it. Will have eventual Melanie/Dez. Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Why is my brother such an idiot? Sometimes I just wish I could have a normal brother, but noooo, I got stuck with Charlie. What kind of a brother doesn't drive his sister home from detention? That's just evil, even for Charlie. Hmph. To think I got in trouble on his behalf. I rolled up his ex-girlfriend's hair in my hand and yanked it, throwing her on the ground. Not my finest hour, I will admit, but I had to teach her a lesson. According to Dez, Charlie "was smittin'" and was a real gentleman with her. I don't know how much of that story I believe, but it seems to be true to some degree. He looked upset after he got dumped, and even though I don't always show it, I love Charlie. At the end of the day he's still my brother. If you repeat it, I will accuse you of being on crack and deny it.

After a long walk in the humid weather, thanks a lot Charlie, I finally arrived home. Since I'm hot and sweaty and I don't like to be sticky and stinky, I hop into the shower and apparently an hour later I come out of the shower. It felt like I was there for only ten minutes though.

Anyways, now that I'm all clean, I can finally get some homework done. Hahahahaha! As if! I think I'll just rest a bit. Detention was soooooo boring and looking at the faces of my "detention buddies" for an hour wasn't fun. I envied the teacher. She got to sleep and I couldn't. There was no way I was going to be unconscious in a room full of trouble makers. I think I'll call Ginny and tell her about detention.

As I reach to get my phone, it's already ringing. I pick it up to see the caller ID. It's from Charlie's phone. This better be good. He's cutting into my relaxation time.

"What do you want, bonehead?"

"Is this Melanie Segal?" An unfamiliar voice was on the other line. Who could be calling from Charlie's phone though?

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm Martin Jenkins. I hate to say it but, Charlie was in a car accident just now. He was rushed to the emergency room at Paradise Hospital and it was my job to inform someone of the family. Are you his mother?"

"Uh, no – no, I'm his sister." I barely utter out the words. Charlie in the emergency room? He's always drives carefully.

"Sister, eh? Is your mother or father near you? I wasn't able to call them. The call didn't go through."

"No, they're three hours away by car. They went on a day trip to visit a great aunt or something like that who happens to live in a woodsy area." Great work mom and dad. Of all the days to leave, you chose this one.

"I see. I'll keep calling them to see if I can get a hold of them by any chance. We need you to come to the Hospital to sign a few papers, plus you'll be able to see your brother."

"Is – is Charlie…okay?" What a dumb question. Way to go Melanie. If he's in the ER, then he's probably not okay.

"After the minor surgery the doctors will perform, he'll be fine. The doctors say it's nothing to worry about, but he may need to be in a cast for a while. I'll let you know if I reach your parents." He hung up. Must be a pretty busy man. I really don't know what to think right now. Charlie may be an annoying troll at times but he's still my brother. What do I do now? Think Melanie, think. Right! I have to go to the Hospital to see Charlie! I don't want to go alone though. I need someone with a car.

I try to hold my phone steady. I'm shaking so much that I think I dialed the wrong number, but it's worth a shot anyhow.

"Hello?" says the male voice on the other line.

"Dez? Can you bring your car to my house and drive me somewhere?"

"Like a date?"

"Dez, this really isn't a good time. Charlie's in the ER, getting surgery. He was in a car accident, my parents are out of town, and I have no way to get to the hospital quickly. The bus isn't fast enough." My voice was obviously shaky and I'm holding back tears at the same time. What if the surgery goes wrong and Charlie doesn't make it out alive?

"I'll be right over." And then he hung up…Is today "National Hang Up on Mel Day?" Because it sure feels that way.

I was in the living room, pacing and waiting for my ride to appear. In ten minutes I heard a car honking, which was obviously Dez. I slung a bag over my shoulder, rushed out the door, and climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. As soon as I closed the door, he drove off and we just sat in silence. Not an awkward silence but not a comfortable silence either. It was just a worried and anxious type of silence.

The minute we parked the car, we sprinted out of there. I checked in with the receptionist and signed the forms that basically said that a family member showed up, he wasn't left alone, blah blah blah. I asked if I could go see Charlie, but the doctors were performing the surgery now. She directed me and Dez to the waiting area.

It was odd how we were the only ones there. I guess people are too busy tanning and swimming and having a life that they don't have time to get hurt. I sat down in a chair facing towards the window. Let's see, I got out of school at 6 because of detention, I spent an hour in the shower and got out at 7, I got that phone call about 45 minutes after, then by the time I called Dez and he showed up, it was 8, by the time we got here it was 8:15. I looked at the wall clock and saw that it was half past eight. We've been here for fifteen minutes, but it's felt like forever. From the corner of my eye I saw Dez taking a seat next to me. He looked out the window for a couple of seconds; looking at the moon and the stars before he turned back at me and pat my knee lightly.

"He'll be fine, Mel. The doctors here are really good."

I just stared at him. I really had nothing to say, so he just went on.

"One of my grandpas loves to complain. That's why we were all shocked when he fell into a coma. It was strange not hearing him talk. The doctors took really good care of him though. There were always at least two doctors close-by just in case he woke up. On day eight, he woke up. Want to know what the first thing he said was?" I nodded and listened as he imitated an old man's voice, "'Would you stop making such a fuss over me! Give me some room to breathe.' It was back to complaining for him, and we were all happy to hear it for once."

I slightly smiled as he finished up the story, chuckling to himself. Did he always have that dimple…? Snap out of it Melanie, your brother is in the ER. Plus, it's Dez.

Before either of us could say anything, a nurse dressed in purple scrubs walked in. She looked at her clipboard and announced, "Melanie, your brother is fine," she smiled, "The surgery was successful. Charlie just needs some rest before he can have visitors. You can wait for about half an hour, but after that visiting hours will be over and you'll be able to see him tomorrow."

I nodded, "Thank you." As she exited, I looked at Dez.

"Thank you too. For driving me here, and waiting, and telling that little story. It made me feel a bit better."

"I think I know something else that can make you feel better?"

I tilted my head, "What?"

"A kiss." He grinned as I rolled my eyes with a hint of a smile on my face.

"Nice try."

"Just wanted to lighten the mood."

"I'm just saying that if we _were_ going to kiss, which we aren't, FYI, I wouldn't want our first kiss together to be at a hospital."

"So you were thinking about kissing?" He raised his eyebrows and gave a half smirk.

"Don't twist my words." I lightly swatted his arm but I could tell he wasn't offended. He seemed amused and he chuckled.

As the night grew longer we just ended up looking out the window in a comfortable silence. Charlie was okay, so we didn't have to worry anymore.

It was just us, staring out the window in silence, waiting for Charlie to wake up. Or at least it was silent until Dez started talking again.

"So why exactly did you call _me_?" he raised an eyebrow, "Don't you always do everything with your three friends?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't call you because you were the first person who came to mind. I called you because I thought Charlie would have liked to see one of his friends when he woke up."

He nodded, "Makes sense. I've seen you and Charlie argue, but I know that you two actually care about each other. He would probably kill me if he found out that I told you, but when you went all Hulk on his ex, he said it was cool of you."

"So Charlie thought it was cool that I yanked his ex-girlfriend to the ground?" I snorted, "So much for smittin'."

"He wasn't happy about _that_. He thought it was cool that you would do something like that to show that you care about him."

I rolled my eyes, "Please. I didn't do it for him."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Then why did you?"

"I don't know. I just did." I shrugged.

"I know Charlie would do the same for you."

"Yeah," I started bitterly, "I'm sure he would."

"No, really. We were in the boys locker room, changing out of our gym clothes when we heard a bunch of guys talking about the girls they'd like to get a chance to 'tap that.' Some guy said you and then said a bunch of disrespectful things. So then-"

"Wait a sec, who said it?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. Looks like I'm gonna have to give some jerk a piece of my mind.

"Some loser on the soccer team," he waved his hand dismissively, "I don't remember who it was. Anyways, Charlie kicked the guy in the place it hurts and told him that if he ever talked about you like that again, his foot will 'accidentally' end up kicking his ass."

"R-really?" I don't know what I'm more surprised at. The fact that some creep talked about me like that or that my brother actually was being protective of me.

"Yeah. Just don't tell him I told you," he looked at the clock and then back to me, "Visiting hours are pretty much over. We should go before we get into trouble. Where are your parents anyways?"

"They texted me an hour ago. Stuck in traffic. Of all nights. They're probably on their way home since they know that they won't make it to the hospital in time."

We got up and left the hospital since my booger of a brother didn't wake up yet. We were driving in the car again with a comfortable silence. I wasn't feeling particularly talkative. I was still feeling surprised at how Charlie kneed some guy's balls for saying dirty things about me. I didn't really know that he cared all that much. Maybe I should attempt being nicer to him. Hahahaha, that'll be a work in progress. Australia wasn't built in a day. Wait a sec, that's not how the saying goes. Was it Greece? Italy? Oh, whatever. This explains my C- in history.

We finally pulled up to my house. Through the windows I could see that the lights were on. I guess my parents finally got back.

"Thanks for the ride, Dez." I managed to flash a slight smile.

"Anytime."

I opened the car door and before I left I said, "You know, you're not as weird as I thought you were."

He lightly chuckled, "Ummm, thanks?"

"No problem. See you around." I closed the car door and he waved from the window before driving off.

What did I just say? Did I just say, 'See you around?' as in, see you soon? Why did I say that? Did I imply that I actually _wanted_ to see him soon? Why am I asking so many questions? I sighed and realized all I needed was some sleep. My unresolved feelings will just have to wait a while.

**A/N: Remember! Reviews make me smile! Seriously, I actually smile when I read reviews. Also, feel free to give some constructive criticism. I really hope Bunheads gets renewed for season 2. It would be a shame to stop everything now that the storylines have gotten better. On another note, a lot of people think that Mel is a lesbian. Personally, I don't see it. I think she's just been repressing her feelings for Dez, but *shrugs* who knows? Annnnnyyyways, review, review, review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I forgot to make one of these in the first chapter, so**** if it wasn't already obvious, I would just like to say that I do not own the characters and am in no manner affiliated with the writers, producers, or actors of Bunheads.**

When I woke up, I checked my clock. Eight AM. I'm awake at eight in the morning on a Saturday. Ladies and germs, hell is about to freeze over.

After I took one of my morning showers and got dressed, I went down to the kitchen. To my surprise, my older germ of a brother was home, reading a gaming magazine on the couch. He had a sling and a cast on his left arm, but other than that, he looked fine.

I raised an eyebrow as I poured some milk into a bowl, "Back so soon?"

Charlie moved the magazine down from his face and just noticed I was standing there, "Why? Not happy to see me?"

I snorted, "Figure that out on your own," I pointed to his cast, "What happened anyways? I thought you were always responsible when it came to your car."

"Some jackass driving a bus blocked some other jackass's view of the road. I was going straight, the jackass was turning, and he didn't see me and crashed into the car. The doctors did some surgery on my arm to get the glass from the window out of it and to top it all off, my arm is broken."

"Crashes seem more fun on tv then." I poured cereal into my bowl. Madam Fanny says no carbs, but I guess I can sneak some in now and then.

"Yep. Did you even know I got hurt?"

"Well duh. I got a phone call from some dude name Martin. Or was that his last name? Anyways, I got a call from a guy and came down to the hospital. We waited for you to wake up but you must've been tired. So we had to leave after visiting hours were over."

"Who's we?" he scrunched his eyebrows, "You and that Martin guy?"

"No. Me and Dez. I needed a ride."

He narrowed his eyes, "You needed a ride? Ever heard of a bus? Don't you have your dancer friends?"

"The bus would have been too slow. Plus, who likes public transit? I'll answer that, no one does. Besides, Ginny, Sasha, and Boo had plans."

"Whatever."

I rolled my eyes. "Exactly. Where are mom and dad anyways? Shouldn't they be taking care of their itty bitty son?"

He glared, "I told them to go to sleep. They came at six AM to pick me up and looked tired. I don't think they got much sleep."

"Thank you captain obvious."

I drank some of the milk straight out of the bowl until I heard a knock on the door.

"You'll get it." said Charlie as he flipped through the pages of the magazine once again.

I rolled my eyes. Who the hell could possibly be here at fifteen minutes to nine on a freakin' Saturday? Saturdays are for sleeping! Am I the only one who knows how to live around here?

I walked over to the door and opened it, a little surprised when I saw none other than Charlie's stooge, Dez standing there with what appeared to be more gaming magazines.

"Uhhh, hi Mel. Charlie texted me and told me that he's back home. I wanted to stop by and hand him these."

I opened the door wider, motioning for him to come inside and closed it once he was in.

As he walked in he said, "Nice milk moustache by the way. Really brings out your eyes." He sat down next to Charlie and started talking about some ridiculous x-box game.

I widened my eyes and rushed to the mirror. Crap. Crap. Crap. He was right. I did have a milk moustache. I used my hand to wipe it off and resumed eating breakfast.

Gosh, I must have looked so stupid. How did I not even notice that I had milk on my face? He probably thinks I'm gross. Wait a second Mel, why do you care what your dumbass of a brother's best friend thinks about you? You don't even like him. Yeah, I don't like him. Stop it eyes. Stop glancing up at him once in a while.

I finally finished my breakfast and put my bowl in the sink. I walked to the living room and checked the time on the wall clock. I have an hour until class begins. My parents are asleep, Charlie can't drive in his condition, the bus is disgusting, and so it looks like I'm walking to class. An hour will give me enough time anyways.

I slung my dance bag over my shoulder and made my way to the front door. I looked at Charlie, "I'm leaving. Tell mom and dad that I'm going to Sasha's after class."

He raised an eyebrow, "How are you planning to get to class? Are you finally going to take the bus?"

I crossed my arms, "Actually I'm going to w – "

I got interrupted by Dez, "I can drive you. I was just about to leave anyways."

Charlie looked at him like he was crazy, "Bro, you just got here."

"Oh, umm, I had to do something for my mom…You know, where you go buy stuff."

I raised an eyebrow, "You mean errands?"

He clapped his hands and grinned, "Exactly. Errands," He looked at Charlie, "I have to buy some things for my mom and I'll be back. Just wanted to get this out of the way."

Charlie just shrugged, "Whatever. See you in a bit I guess."

Dez waved to him and walked out, motioning for me to follow him to his car. I sat in the passenger seat.

He sat in the driver's seat, turned on the engine and pulled away from the driveway, onto the highway.

"So why did you lie about the errands?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nice try, but I can see right through your act."

"What act?"

"That act! What do you need to buy then, Mr. I Have Errands to Run?"

"Ummm, soap?"

"Mhm, sure." I just rolled my eyes.

He probably noticed because he said, "My grandpa always told me that if you roll your eyes too much, they'll fall out."

"If my eyes fell out I wouldn't have to look at that weird kid in my English class that always has spinach in his teeth."

He chuckled, "Still sounds painful though."

I just shrugged, "Everything comes with a cost."

"I don't roll my eyes at all. If they did eventually fall out, it'd mean I'd never be able to look at you again."

How is he so calm and so nonchalant? I just used an SAT word. Take that dad. Anyways, how can he say things like that and still keep eye contact? Using my fingers I brushed hair out of my face and turned to look out the window. My cheeks felt hot and I did not like it one bit.

"We're going to have to talk about it eventually."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, mocking his tone from before.

"I'm pretty sure you do. We have chemistry, Mel. That night at the studio during the fire, yesterday night when we spent hours together waiting for Charlie - "

"We have nothing."

"Prove it then. Kiss me and then tell me you don't feel anything. If you don't feel anything, I'll leave you alone."

"I don't go around randomly kissing people to see if I have feelings for them."

"Fine then. One date. You're acting like that night in the shelter didn't even happen. In case you forgot, you had no reasons as to why we shouldn't go out on a date anyways. It's just one date. One date with me and you'll be begging for more." He finished with a wink and a half smirk.

I lightly laughed at how weird that wink came out. Rolling my eyes once more I finally thought of a response, "I seriously doubt that I'll be "begging for more" but if it'll calm you down then yes, I'll go on a date. _One_ date. You've got one shot, and one shot only. Once I prove to you that I feel nothing, you'll finally leave me alone and peace will be restored to the world once again."

"You know, you're going out of your way to deny it…It kinda makes me think that you actually _want_ to go."

"Don't flatter yourself." We finally pulled up to the dance school. Before I had time to open the door, I felt his hand on my wrist.

"Are you free tonight?"

I thought for a while, not sure if I actually was going to go through with it. I turned to him, "Eight o'clock. Don't be late."

Before I gave him a chance to respond, I left. I took my bag with me and went to the dressing room to change. Boo and Ginny were already there, putting on their pointe shoes.

"Hey Melanie." Boo smiled. She looks happier nowadays. Maybe it's because she's dating Carl. I'm happy for her either way.

"Hey Mel." Ginny said, wiggling her fingers in a wave.

"Hey guys. Where's Sasha?" I plopped down on a chair, changing into my leotard.

"She's not coming," Boo started, "She woke up late and decided to sleep in. She's still having us over for lunch later, though. Who knows, it might even turn into a slumber party!"

"Slumber party? So you guys can talk about having sex again? Count me out."

"But Mel! It won't be a slumber party without you!"

"Sorry Boo. Even if I wanted to, I can't."

"Why not?" Ginny piped in.

"I kinda have plans."

"With those Derby Dolls and Cozette?" Ginny practically spit out those names. I'm still sensing a bit of tension on this topic.

"Actually no," I awkwardly cleared my throat, "With Dez."

"What do you mean?" asked Boo.

"He's taking me on a date."

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! I would have written more, but school has been crazy this week. Tests, essays, quizzes. Its insane! But your reviews and support have made it easier on me :D Thank you to my lovely reviewers!**

**Thank you to: Mystapleza, Kate vengeance, Sajna18, RealMe07, VictoiredeLis, missjess15, and last but not least, AKay1297**

**Also, thank you to the people following this story. Be sure to leave a review to tell me how I'm doing. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as class was over, Boo's dad dropped us off at Sasha's place.

"Finally some peace and quiet!" exclaimed Boo as she plopped down on the couch, "If my brother gets more annoying I'm going to blow up with frustration."

Ginny replied, "Come on Boo. Let's try to stay happy, not frustrated. Frustration leads to anger and anger leads to sadness, and sadness will totally ruin everyone's mood." Ginny seems a bit odd lately. She looks like she's going to snap any second now.

"Oh relax, all of you. I made casseroles for lunch." Sasha finished setting the table and placed two very big dishes of rice casserole onto each side of the table.

I looked at her in disbelief, "Aren't you a good little housewife? Managed to keep this place clean and cook too."

She just rolled her eyes and motioned for us to sit down, "Time for lunch. Get it while it's hot."

I sat down next to Ginny, and Sasha and Boo sat down on the opposite side of the table. I started to pile rice onto my plate, "Speaking of hot, how are those art lessons going, Ginny?"

Ginny was just staring at her glass of orange juice.

"Uhhh, Ginny?

She finally snapped out of her daze, "Oh-uh, fine."

"Really?"

She bit her lip and had watery eyes, "No, they're not. Something bad happened."

Sasha snorted, "What? Did you use the wrong color paint or something?"

Ginny bit her lip to hold back her tears, "No."

Boo added, "Did he make fun of your drawing?"

Ginny shook her head.

"Well," I started, "What is it then?"

A tear escaped Ginny's eye, "I slept with Frankie."

Sasha's eyes became bewildered, "WHAT? When?!"

I'm not sure if Sasha was upset that someone took away the innocence of our best friend, or that Ginny was the first one out of our group to lose it and not her.

"About a week ago." She started to sob into her food. "He hasn't called or texted me since! To make it worse, I even wrote him a thank you note."

Boo look perplexed, "A thank you note?"

Ginny nodded and continued to lightly cry. I took a napkin and wiped away her tears, feeling enraged by how stupid Frankie was. Ginny is like a daisy. She's sweet and she smells good, but she's also delicate. How could he do something like that and then not speak to her for a week?

"Frankie better not be at roller derby practice. If I see him there, the Hulk will be unleashed."

That got a small chuckle out of Ginny and a laugh from both Sasha and Boo.

"So what exactly – " I think Sasha was going to ask Ginny about what her first time was like until Boo glared at her. Good thing we dodged that bullet.

Sasha lightly glared back at Boo and took a bite of casserole, "So, what exactly did I miss today in class?" Nice save Sasha.

I shrugged, "Same old same old. We practiced the combination of steps we had so far and that's pretty much it."

Ginny sniffled and stopped crying, "That's not all. Mel is going on a date tonight."

Sasha raised an eyebrow, "Really? And with whom?"

Boo took a bite of casserole, "Dez."

I ate my casserole, trying to look uninterested in the conversation.

"Mel," started Sasha, "What the hell is going on?"

I looked up, not caring if I was talking with my mouth full, "Bwat du you mhean?"

Boo grimaced at my table manners and then looked back at Sasha, who was looking at me like I was stupid. I took a gulp of water, to wash it all down.

"Since when did you like Dez?"

I spit out my water to the side, coughing, "I don't like him!"

Boo and Ginny looked confused. Ginny asked, "Wait a second. I thought that when you said that he was taking you on a date, it was because you liked him and he liked you."

I sighed, "Noooo. I don't like him. He just won't take no for an answer. So once we go on a date, I can prove to him that I don't have any feelings for him whatsoever, and the world will make sense again."

Sasha kept looking at me like I was stupid, "That is one of the most stupidest things I've ever heard. Even for you."

Boo tilted her head, "I don't know, Sasha. It kinda makes sense to me."

Ginny looked at me, "So when did he ask you out?"

"Today in his car."

Sasha smirked, "You were in his car? Are you sure you don't like him?"

I rolled my eyes, "I don't like him."

Boo sat up straight and imitated an olden-English accent, "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

I lightly glared at her, "Not helping. I don't like him," I turned to Sasha, "The only reason I was in his car was because he gave me a ride to class. I told you guys that Charlie got into a car accident. So he couldn't drive me, my parents were up all night so they were sleeping all morning, the bus is gross, plus he offered. Who am I to turn down a ride?" I shrugged.

Sasha nodded, "So, where are you guys going?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know what you're going to wear?" asked Boo.

I shrugged, "Doesn't matter."

Ginny took a sip of her drink and said, "You should wear that cute blue top you wore a couple of days ago with your above-the-knee black tights."

Boo nodded in agreement, "That'll look nice."

I looked at them incredulously, "I'm not trying to look nice for a guy I don't even like."

Sasha took a bite of her casserole, "Doesn't mean that you can't look nice for yourself."

I mumbled, "Whatever."

Thankfully, the topic of conversation was changed to Sasha and how she's been spending time with Roman lately.

* * *

After we ate a very good casserole at Sasha's, Boo's dad dropped us off at our houses.

I've been home for an hour already and I put on the clothes that Ginny suggested. I took a look at my clock. It read 7:48. Twelve minutes left. Why does my stomach feel weird? If anyone suggested that I had butterflies in my stomach, I'd smack them. Clearly its indigestion. Probably something Sasha put in the casserole was past the expiration date. Yeah, that's it.

Five minutes later I heard the sound of the door opening. Someone was here. I heard Dez's voice. I gathered things I'd need, like my cellphone, a stretchy band (in case I wanted to tie my hair back), and some mints. Mints because stinky breath is a pet peeve of mine, not because there's going to be kissing. Because there's not.

I started coming down the stairs, but stopped halfway when I heard Charlie talking. I crouched down behind the railing.

"So, what brings you here? Did you finally realize that you couldn't delay losing to me in videogames and came to accept defeat?"

Dez cleared his throat, "Actually no. By the way, you and I both know that I'll end up winning."

"So why exactly are you here?" Charlie looked amused.

"Mel and I are going on a date."

Charlie bursted out laughing, "That's a good one. No, why are you really here?"

"I told you… Mel and I are going on a date."

Charlie held his good hand up, "Hold on a sec, you were serious?"

Dez nodded.

Charlie groaned, "Out of all of the girls to go on a date with you chose Melanie? Dude, she's my sister! At times she's a pain in the ass, but she's _my _pain in the ass. This is gonna change things you know."

"If I wanted to go out with other girls, I would, but I don't want that. I like Melanie."

"Whatever. I'm just warning you that if she ever comes home crying, I'll have to kick your ass like how I kicked Steve Molina's for saying those things about her. And I don't want to kick your ass since you're my best friend."

Steve Molina. The douche on the soccer team. Going Hulk on him will be fun. Detention or not, it'll be so worth it.

"Charlie, calm yourself. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

That was almost cute. He just sounded so sincere when he said that. Stop it Mel! You don't feel anything for this guy. He just happens to be your brother's best friend who has a crush on you. Nothing more.

Charlie looked at him, "Good."

I looked at the time from my cellphone. 8:03. I got up, fixed my long, straight hair and descended down the stairs.

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for the long wait. I'm terrible, I really am. I've had exams all week because my teachers think it's cute to give tests on the same day. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was easier to write because of the really nice reviews I got *insert heart here***

**Speaking of, thank you to: : Mystapleza, Kate vengeance, Sajna18, RealMe07, VictoiredeLis, missjess15, AKay1297, Melindaf, KyoRenandinuyashalover, LOVETHISSTORY (Guest), Danneis (Guest), and last but not least, Sprinkle-Of-Happiness**

**Also, thank you to everyone who favorite and put this on their story alerts!**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter. Don't forget to review to let me know how I'm doing. Also, make a prediction for the next chapter. I have the date planned out in my head already, but I'm interested to hear what you guys think. Where will Dez take Mel? Lemme know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

When I got down, Dez smiled, "Ready?"

I nodded, "Let's get this over with."

Charlie scrunched up his eyebrows, "Wait a sec. If you guys are going on a date, why do you want to get it over with?"

"I couldn't think of a reason as to why I wouldn't accept Dez's offer to go on a date with him, so here we are. When I prove to him that I feel nothing, everything will be back to normal." I said, patting Charlie's shoulder reassuringly.

Charlie looked a little relieved, but raised an eyebrow, "So the fact that going out with your brother's best friend could make things awkward for your amazing brother wasn't good enough to be one of your reasons?"

I snorted, "Since when are you important?"

He just rolled his eyes, "Be home by midnight."

"Whatever." I tugged on Dez's sleeve, "Let's go before Charlie starts acting like a reasonable older brother."

As we left the house, I heard Dez whisper to Charlie that he'll have me home before midnight. Not that I was planning to stay out that long with him anyways. He'll probably bore me to sleep since he doesn't talk much.

He led me to his car, opened the door, and then closed it when I got in. I could've done that myself. Just saying.

"So where are we going?" I asked as soon as he got in.

"That is a surprise."

"Come on! I don't like waiting."

"I thought you didn't even want to go," he smirked.

"I don't. I just figured I might as well make the most of it."

"Good," he handed me a bandana, "Put this over your eyes."

"Like a blindfold?"

"Exactly."

I snorted, "You're crazy."

"You're stubborn."

I sighed and put the blindfold on just to get him to shut up. I am not stubborn.

"Happy now?"

"Delighted actually."

I huffed and crossed my arms.

"You know," he started, "Since you were a good girl and put on the blindfold, I'll even tell you what's gonna happen."

"Oh really now?"

"Mhm. We're going to a building, then after that, we're going somewhere with lots of open space."

"Gee, that's specific," I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see it.

He chuckled a bit, and after a few more minutes of driving we stopped. He told me to stay seated and got out of the car. He opened my door and took my hand to help me get out of the car, blindfold still on.

"So, when can I take this off?"

"Once we get inside the building."

He walked behind me, holding my shoulders to guide me into the building. Next thing I know, he lifted me up bridal-style and started carrying me. I panicked a bit, flailing my arms, because I don't like when my feet are off of the ground.

"What the hell?!"

"Stairs. Wouldn't want you to fall and hurt that pretty little face of yours."

"This blindfold thing is really annoying."

He set me down carefully once inside the building and stood behind me. Dez untied the blindfold, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the most beautiful (some even familiar) photographs ever known to mankind.

"Is – Are these the photographs taken by Ansel Adams?"

He smiled, "Yeah. The exhibition opens to the public starting next week."

I turned back to look at him, "What do you mean when you say 'to the public'?"

"My cousin works here so some family members get an early peek at what the exhibition has to offer."

"Wow. That's incredible. It also explains the lack of people here." I lightly laughed.

He simply nodded and looked around.

I followed him around to see what he was looking at, "I think that it's amazing how most of these are in black and white, yet they still capture so much."

"I know. Look at that one," he pointed to the one on the right side of us, "It's so perfect how the moon's reflection ever so lightly shows up in the ocean."

"Flawless," I agreed.

"Yeah," he turned to look at me, "And he didn't use flash."

I remembered the night in the studio/shelter, "Haha. Very funny."

He chuckled at my reaction and showed me other photos that Ansel Adams took. It was pretty cool. The exhibition had brief descriptions about the photo underneath it. If this was in a textbook, I'd gladly read it. Much better than learning about The Slovian Empire. Wait, Slovian doesn't sound right. Was it Slovakian? Slovanian? Were the Slovaks even part of an empire? Whatever. History can suck it.

* * *

After an interesting time at the gallery, we went back to the car.

"So, what did you think?" he asked as he turned on the engine of the car.

"I think that Ansel Adams was an amazing photographer."

"I was kinda hoping for a comment about our date, but I guess that works too." He shrugged.

"So where are we going now?"

He grinned, "Eager much?"

I scoffed, "No. Don't flatter yourself."

"Anyways," he started, "One way to find out." He started the car.

"Why can't I ever get a direct answer out of you?"

"Funny, I ask the same thing about you."

"Touché."

He grinned and drove. After ten minutes we were at a parking lot. The second one of the night. But this one was familiar.

"We're at the beach?"

He nodded, "We are." We got out of the car and to my surprise he was taking something out of the trunk. In his right hand he held a rolled up blanket and in his other hand he held a picnic basket. He started walking onto the sand so I followed.

Once he finally picked a spot with a good view of the ocean, well as good as a view gets at ten o'clock, he unrolled the blanket and we both sat down. It was actually kind of nice. Sand, the sound of waves crashing, the faint light coming from light posts; every part of it was just so relaxing.

He passed me a juice box and something wrapped up in aluminum foil shaped like a rectangle, "I can't cook so its juice boxes and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Hope you don't mind."

I let out a smile as I accepted the food, "Thanks."

He took a bite of his sandwich, "So, there's something I want to know."

I nodded towards him as I took a sip of juice, "Shoot."

"Why did you _really_ come tonight? Don't pull the 'I'll prove to you I don't feel anything' crap on me. If you really didn't have any feelings towards me, then you would have just laughed in my face and gone about your business. But you didn't. You agreed to come. Spill."

"Don't make me regret coming here," I started, "I just figured that I'd give you a chance, you know, to be fair."

He just nodded.

I looked at him, "Now it's your turn. Why me? I don't mean that meanly, but I'm just asking, out of any girl in our school, it's me, here, sitting with you on this blanket on a date this Saturday night."

He kind of stared for a second, but not in a creepy way, and said, "I think you're different. And I like it. You don't take any crap from anyone, you're always there to protect your friends, and despite what you lead on, you're a really good sister to Charlie. Plus, a girl who's graceful in ballet but can crush someone's face in roller derby? Hot." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

I'm really thankful its dark enough for him not to see the blush creeping up on my cheeks. Stop it cheeks! Mel, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't like – Okay, okay. Maybe I do. Maybe just a little bit. I mean, he did go to all that trouble for this picnic, plus he remembered that I liked photography. I bit my lip, thinking about it. Would he want to go out again with me though? I was kinda bitchy to him and giving him problems.

He waved his hand in front of my face, "Earth to Melanie."

I snapped out of it and looked at him, "Huh?"

"You zoned out."

"Sorry."

He chuckled, "An apology? Wow, this night is going better than expected. Anyways, going back to what I said earlier, I think you actually like me. Maybe not one hundred percent, but at least ten percent."

I bit my lip, debating on whether or not to tell him if he was right, "No chance. No way, I won't say it. No no."

He tilted his head, "Did you just quote a Disney movie?"

"It's too cliché, I won't say it."

"Isn't that from Hercules? Yeah, I think it is."

"Get off my case, I won't say it."

He extended his hand to touch my forehead, "Are you feeling sick or something? This food doesn't expire until two months from now."

I sighed, "What if I told you that there's an eensie weensie chance that I actually like you?" I actually did that cliché thing, where the girl moves her hand closer to the middle of where they both sit so that the boy knows it is okay to hold her hand. What is going on with me?

"I'd tell you that it would make me happy."

I brushed some hair out of my face using my other hand and tried to avoid eye contact, "I think I like you. I don't know. It's been super hard to figure anything out lately. I had a feeling that I liked you, but my brain told me not to, and it just kept repeating over and over and over again and I wasn't sure if I really liked you or not but now I think that I actually kinda like you because it was so sweet how you planned everything out and I don't care if you can cook or not, because despite how cheesy this sounds, it's the thought that really counts, and I feel kinda bad for being difficult because you were, still are, patient with me and I just didn't have time to think any of this through calmly or rationally because some of my friends have problems of their own and they really need me right now, plus Charlie got into that car accident, but then you came to the rescue and ever since then I – "

I was stopped midsentence when he took my hand into his. His hands felt warm and soft. "Don't get me wrong, you have a pretty voice, but sometimes you talk too fast," he laughed.

I chuckled at myself, looking down.

He looked up at me, "Sometimes, saying it out loud will decrease the amount of denial."

I pulled back for my hand and crossed my arms, "I am not in denial. How could you even accuse me of being in denial?"

He took a bite of his sandwich, "I'm just saying that from what you were rambling on about just now, it kinda sounds like you are. You like me, and you know you do. You don't have to lie to me or yourself anymore."

I sighed. "I'm not exactly good at expressing my feelings."

He smiled, "That's fine. Not everyone is. You know, this night was actually a success."

"How so?"

"I had a feeling you liked me. Remember that night at the shelter? When you guys were talking about condoms and your little dancey friends shooed me away? I saw that little, hopeful smile that came from you. Don't think I forgot."

"So what now?"

He took my hands into his again, "I say we enjoy the rest of the night before we decide on anything."

I looked down at our hands, then looked back up at him, nodding, "Okay."

He stroked my hands with his thumb, grinning goofily, "So my best friend's sister has a crush on me. Awesome."

I laughed, "Speaking of best friend, what's Charlie going to say when he finds out that this date didn't suck?"

He chuckled, "I haven't worked on that part yet."

"My bet is that he'll flip his shit."

"He probably will. You're his sister. Like I told you at the hospital, he doesn't show it, but he's protective of you."

"Hmmmmm. I'll tell him that we're going to have to learn to share."

He laughed, "There's plenty of Dez to go around. But I'll have special activities to do with each of you."

"Special activities?"

"Yeah. Sports and video games with Charlie. Dates with you."

I nodded, "Sounds good, but you don't think you can play sports with me?" I raised an eyebrow, "Afraid to get your ass kicked by a girl at a sport?"

"Do I smell a bet coming on?"

"As sure as hell you do."

"Fine. If I, Dez, win at least two out of three sports, then you will owe me backrubs for two months."

"Oh you are so on. _When I_ win at two out of three sports, then you have to carry my books to and from classes for the next two months."

"Sounds simple enough. Here are the rules. I pick one sport, you pick another sport, and we'll get Charlie to pick the last sport."

"Sounds fair. I pick a roller race."

He sighed, "I pick a tennis match."

"Fine. We have a deal." I held my hand out for him to shake.

Without hesitation, he shook my hand, "Deal. But I'll let you know that I like my shoulder rubs rough."

I'm not going to lie to myself anymore. I found his over-confidence very hot. Next thing I knew, my arms were around his neck, and his arms were around my waist. Our lips were moving in synch and my heart was fluttering about. I never felt like this before. It's exhilarating! We continued to kiss until we had to come up for air.

"That," he started, "Is another activity I'll only be able to do with you and not Charlie."

I laughed pretty hard, imagining Dez kissing Charlie. That looked so wrong on so many levels. I laughed so hard that I had to lie down on the blanket to catch my breath.

Dez leaned down and kissed my forehead, "Come on. Time to head back now before your brother puts the evil eye on me for taking out his sister."

He got up and offered his hand, which I took to help myself get up. Get this. I even helped clean up. He put the blanket in the picnic basket, took the picnic basket in his right hand, and held my hand in his other hand as we walked back to the car

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! You finally saw the date :) Tell me how you think I did! Like I said before, reviews make me smile. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/put this story on their alerts! I'd list the reviewers, but I'm feeling sick and my eyes are tired of the computer screen so I will not do it this chapter, but I promise to do it next chapter :D **


	5. Chapter 5

The ride home was pretty quiet considering the fact that I was tired. It was almost midnight and I had to wake up early for dance that morning so I've been up for like 16 hours or something without a nap to recharge. What a day. What a date.

Dez parked the car in the driveway and we just sat there, in the dark and silent car. He glanced at me and said, "So where does that leave us now?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. I really didn't know. Just because we went on one date and made a friendly bet doesn't mean that I'm suddenly his girlfriend now, does it?

"Mel, I'd really like to give us a try. And I think that's what you want too. That kiss we shared tonight? I felt sparks, and I think you might have too."

I nodded, "You're right. I'm pretty sure that's what I want."

He smiled, "So we're an exclusive couple now?"

"Meaning that everyone would know about it?"

"I meant exclusive as in we only see each other, but I guess people knowing about it would be a part of it."

I nodded again and smiled, "I'd like that." Now that I think about it, I'm glad that exclusive meant that we see each other and _just_ each other. I wouldn't want to share Dez with any other girl. Wow, we've only been on one date and I'm already being possessive of him. Something is wrong with me.

"Wait a sec," I raised an eyebrow, "Being exclusive means that Charlie would know."

He nodded, "I know. We should tell him. I'd rather he hear it from us than from the halls at school."

Ugh. He was right. My booger of a brother had to know or else he'd neglect Dez and I don't want to ruin their friendship.

"Hey," he called as I turned my gaze back to him, "Thank you for coming tonight."

I smiled, "My pleasure."

We both leaned in, connecting our lips and moving them in synch for about ten minutes. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fun. Plus, Dez is a good kisser which is just the icing on the cake.

* * *

We got out of the car and he walked me to the doorstep. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could, Charlie opened the door.

"Nice to see you two back. Mel, I hope you let him down easy. Dez is a great guy," he said as he patted Dez on the shoulder.

"Ummm," I began, "About that…"

Charlie instantly raised his eyebrows and looked at Dez incredulously. Dez cleared his throat, "Charlie, I like your sister, and you know I do."

Charlie just kept this confused look on his face, "Yeah, so?"

Dez took a deep breath, "Well on our date tonight, I kinda discovered that Mel somewhat likes me back."

Charlie choked on his saliva and looked at me, "What the fuck? Since when?"

I merely shrugged, "Doesn't matter. All that matters now is that Dez and I are exclusive. Besides," I continued, "You said it yourself. Dez is a good guy."

Charlie just rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He looked at Dez, "I'm going to talk to you later."

"Charlie, you know I'm not going to hurt your sister. I care about her."

"The thing that I don't like is that you both are putting me in a position that sucks. If you hurt Mel, I hurt you since she's my sister. But if Mel hurts you, I have to hurt her since you're my best friend." He threw his good arm into the air exasperatedly.

"Look. I'm tired. I've been up since six in the morning since I had class and I just want to go to sleep."

Charlie opened the door wider so that I could go back in and said, "Go ahead. I'll stay out here and talk to my best friend for a while."

Dez pecked my cheek and said, "G'night, Mel. I'll call you tomorrow."

I pulled him by his shirt and kissed him full on the mouth for a moment or two before pulling away, for two reasons. One, because it would piss off Charlie, and two, because I wanted to.

"Goodnight." I walked into the house and closed the door. I would have eavesdropped but I was too damn tired.

* * *

**A/N: I am so so so so so so so sorry for not writing in so long. I had an AP test to study for and 4 Regents exams. (For those of you who don't live in NY, the regents are annoying tests that you have to take at the end of the year and some colleges look at the results.)**

**Now that school is out for the summer, there will be more updates! Pinky swear! A big thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/put this story on their alerts!**


	6. Chapter 6

Sunday was uneventful. Boo had to spend time with her mom, Sasha was with Roman again, and Ginny had family stuff to deal with. Dez called but he couldn't go out because he had to have a car inspection done. Boring.

* * *

Monday means its back to school. I spotted the girls outside of the school, chatting, and walked up to them.

"Morning."

"Hey Mel," smiled Boo.

"Morning," Sasha nodded absent mindedly. She held her phone in her hands. My guess is that she was texting Roman.

"So tell us how the date was." Ginny leaned against the bricks, waiting for my response.

"Did it suck?" Sasha asked.

"Sasha!" Boo snapped, "You can't just ask something like that! It's not polite."

Sasha rolled her eyes and looked back at me, "Well?"

"Well," I began, "It didn't suck. He took me to an art exhibition of a photographer we both like and then he took me to the beach and set up a picnic."

"Awwwwwwwww!" exclaimed Boo. "That's adorable!"

Ginny smiled, "That's sweet. So are you two a thing now?"

"Yep. We're exclusive now."

Sasha looked up at me, "Just after one date?"

I raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what you're implying with that question, but it's not like I just met him or anything. He's been Charlie's best friend for years and I've seen him around a lot."

Apparently whoever she was texting was much more interesting because her eyes were glued to the screen of her phone and she just nodded and said, "Oh."

I nodded and the bell rang to get to class. Boo and Sasha had trigonometry while Ginny and I had world history. Ginny and I were chatting about her dad and her psychotic mother until our path was blocked by Steve Molina. He's a jock that half of our grade can't stand. He's so full of himself just because he's the MVP on the soccer team. Big whoop.

"Melanie, Ginny, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ginny wriggled her nose, "You're blocking our way to class, Steve. Nothing pleasurable about that…"

He smirked, "What do you know? It seems like I _am _blocking your way to class." He turned to me, speaking specifically in my direction, "So Melanie, word around school is that you're with Dez now?"

I raised an eyebrow, "How did you know about that already?"

He kept his smirk, "Once a hot girl is taken, everyone knows about it. You know, boys love to talk about girls in the locker room. Once, I called you hot and your brother totally pounded me for it, but it was worth it." He winked.

For a second I forgot that he was the creep that called me hot; the one that Charlie punched.

He continued, "But why Dez? Why would a smoking girl like you go for someone average? I mean, think about it. You and me? Now that would be magic. We'd be the hottest couple of this school."

Is he for real? He disgusts me and – wait? Did he just call me _smoking_? Ugh, no one uses that word anymore. He's such a creep. I'd rather lick a McDonald's toilet seat than go anywhere near him.

I pretended to think really hard about what he said. "You know what? You're right."

Ginny looked bewildered, her eyes were so wide I thought they were about to fall out of their sockets.

I started walking closer to him, "How about a hug?"

He grinned, "Great."

I smirked and went over to hug him. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him in place and then I kicked him with my knee, straight to the balls. I kicked him pretty hard, I might add. Then to top it all off I pulled back and stomped on his foot. A crowd of people in our grade surrounded us. They looked amused and some of my classmates cheered.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He said as he held his hands to his crotch.

"The pain on your foot was for talking about me in the locker room. That's disgusting. The kick in the balls was for downgrading my boyfriend."

I linked arms with Ginny, who looked very amused, and we were about to walk to history class until I saw a grinning Dez approach us.

"You knee'd a guy in the balls on my behalf? I'm a lucky guy."

Ginny chuckled and I slightly blushed, "Well it wasn't _just_ for you. He was being a jerk so he totally deserved it."

"I'm glad I was there to see it," he winked. "I'll see you after class?"

I nodded with a smile, "You will."

* * *

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! I'm sorry for not uploading recently. FanFiction had an error that wouldn't let me upload my docs, but it has finally been resolved. Leave a review to let me know how I'm doing! I know its been a while so I could use input to see if I'm back on track.**

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers: Bunhead167, becc-gallanter, AKay1297, missjess15, ****Mystapleza, Kate vengeance, Sajna18, RealMe07, VictoiredeLis, Melindaf, KyoRenandinuyashalover, LOVETHISSTORY (Guest), Danneis (Guest), Sprinkle-Of-Happiness, LilacMayn, in another world, OMG that's me, 1, ForeverLovingToRead, Taryn1409, and last but not least Gigi and the Ghost.**  


******Also thank you to everyone who hasn't given up on this story and put it on their alert list and favorites. More to come soon!**


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